Page 78 of The Paris Roommates: Dean
“I don’t know what to say,” Madison finally said, her voice devoid of its usual punch.
Sawyer studied her face. She looked stricken, like she wanted to run from the room. He kind of understood. A gift like this—one that touched someone’s soul—brought with it a flood of uncomfortable emotion. Hadn’t he almost wept upstairs? And how must she feel if that kiss between them had unleashed something for her too?
Sawyer went over to her and put an arm around her, telling her softly, “Kyle outfitted a room on the top floor with everything I need to paint, which is why he kept you down here so you wouldn’t guess.” Her rubbed her arm, hoping the information would help her crest the internal storm she was battling. “It’s the perfect atelier—like your new kitchen is. God, Madison, you should see the light up there.”
When she clutched on to the arm he held around her as if it were a lifeline, he looked at her with worry. Her brown eyes weren’t right. Her pupils were dilated, as if she were in shock.
“Oh my gosh!” Thea exclaimed as she skidded into the room. She let out a delighted shriek that had Madison jumping and Sawyer wincing from the volume. “This is incredible! I’m in shock. I’m—”
“We all are,” Brooke said, crossing to her and Jean Luc and murmuring something.
Sawyer watched as Kyle slowly walked over to them. Madison’s hand fell away from Sawyer’s, and he knew he needed to take a step back to give them space. Emotion seemed to shake the very air between them.
As soon as he retreated, Kyle put his hands on Madison’s forearms and gently squeezed. “Say something, Madison. Your silence is scaring me. I don’t have a cleaver here, but you can take a shot at my jaw if it would make you feel better.”
She gripped his hands. “You did this?” Her golden eyes looked like Baltic amber, he thought, and her oval face was the color of parchment. “For me?”
Her voice sounded incredulous.
His naturally tan face turned a light shade of red, and he seemed to grip her arms tighter. “I told you. I want you to be happy. I thought this would do.”
Jesus, Kyle, Sawyer thought.You love her.
“You thought this would do?” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Kyle, I…”
Then Sawyer’s mouth was dropping to the floor as she awkwardly put her arms around their friend. Kyle hesitated, and then he was awkwardly returning her embrace. It was the stiffest hug Sawyer had ever witnessed, but for a moment, he thought he saw Madison relax her arms and lean in a bit. Then she patted him soundly on the back three times with hefty thumps. Kyle let go of her immediately and stepped back. They stared at each other.
Someone cleared their throat, and Sawyer realized it was him.
“So I guess this means you expect me to cook for you.” Madison put her hands on her hips, her voice back to its usual potency.
Shock rippled across Kyle’s face. “What?”
She poked him. “Don’t think I believe for one minute this kitchen was mere altruism. That’s the right word, isn’t it, Sawyer?”
He understood what she was doing when she crossed her arms and lifted a snarky brow. She’d bounced back from that awkward, emotional moment in a way Kyle hadn’t yet.
“Yep,” was all he could manage.
A phone buzzed, and Kyle drew his out after finally breaking eye contact with Madison. “It’s Dean. I’ll go let him in. You guys make yourselves at home.”
Madison’s gaze followed Kyle out of the room. Then she shook herself and walked over to the rack of copper pots, touching them like he’d touched his canvases upstairs, like they were heaven themselves.
Okay, he was being a little romantic, but if he’d painted her like that, that would have been his theme. Hecouldpaint her like that, in fact. He had so much room for canvases now, he could stack up any old paintings he made. Forget about having to manage his space. Worrying about finished canvases taking up room was a thing of the past. And he would paint her as he’d seen her moments ago, with shock and love radiating out of her face as she looked at Kyle. Because God, what a scene!
“This is our house!”
Dean’s shout reached them in the kitchen.
Madison dropped her hand, and when she noticed Sawyer staring, she shoved it in her jeans pocket. “So your art studio is pretty great, huh? Why don’t you give me a tour?”
He couldn’t let her slide back into her old badass self without saying one more thing. Then he’d let it go forever. “Kyle must really love us, huh?”
Something came and went in her eyes, wild and hopeful and intense, before she drew herself up straighter. Jesus, she was in love with him too. “He’s Kyle. He always does things big. But it was really nice.”
Her voice betrayed her. The words sounded normal, sure, but the huskiness came from a well of emotion. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Super nice.”
He took off toward the door to the hallway, realizing Brooke, Thea, and Jean Luc had joined Kyle and Dean in the entryway. He could hear them all yapping in delight. Yeah, yapping.
